There were an estimated 9.6m crimes in 2009/10, compared with 10.5m in the previous 12 months, according to figures released by the British Crime Survey (BCS). The number of murders fell by 6% to 615, the lowest since 1997, while gun and knife crime also fell. Crimes recorded by the police fell 8% from 4.7m in 2008/09 to 4.3m last year.